We asked some local experts up here in the hills to help clarify all that fancy stuff you have been reading on tasting notes and wine bottles and this is what they came up with:
Residual Sugar: That's the lipstick left on your collar
T/A: Not sure but Ma said to turn the TV off after 8 ' cause that's all they showed!
V/A: That's the stuff all them hippies took in the 60's
Alcohol: Duh - That's what you put in a funny car!
PH - The other letters that make the FFF sound.
Regardless, this is a great wine...We Don't Care Who You Are!!
Tempranillo is a varietal that is the major component of the great wines of Spain - to learn more (and to see that fancy stuff), scroll down to our Geek Sheet.
Geek Sheet Data for 2004 Calaveras County Tempranillo
(click here for printable PDF Geek Sheet)
(learn more! check out our Geek Sheet Cheat Sheat)
Tasting Notes
For several crushes, our buddy Scotty (not our winemaker, another Scott) helped us with punchdowns, pressings, rackings, and just about any other task you have during crush. You always knew Scotty was around because of the aroma of his clove cigarettes. You’ll note that this Tempranillo also has a hint of clove, along with aromas and flavors of cherry and raspberry. Not to mention great structure and acidity, but I digress. Now Scotty works for another winery, but somehow the aroma of clove still wafts around the crush pad. Some suspect Scotty is stealing beer from the lab fridge, but it’s probably just the Tempranillo.
Production Notes
These Tempranillo grapes were sourced from the Rolleri Ranch just outside of Angels Camp, California. Elevation at the site is 1900 feet and the vines are planted on a South-Southwestern slope. The vines are trellised on a modified quadrilateral system to further enhance the vines’ exposure. The 2004 growing season in Calaveras gave us a very early bloom. We then had a cooling spell which enabled us to keep berry sizes down, increasing body in the finished wine. The early summer growing season stayed steady and mild. Mid-season, we experienced an extreme heat spike, immediately followed by a very cool “late-season” finish. The fruit load was thinned down to a projected 3.3 tons per acre. To achieve full maturation of fruit while keeping some moderate natural acidity, we harvested this in late September.
Upon reaching the winery, the fruit was gently crushed and then soaked on the skins at 48° F for 48 hours in a stainless steel tank prior to fermentation. It was inoculated with a Spanish yeast strain. After eight days and nearing the end of primary fermentation, the young wine was pressed off of the skins and put into barrels to finish out primary and malolactic fermentation. For this vintage, we have blended in 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from Vallecito Vineyard to add complexity and silkiness.
